C.A.R. reports California's housing market continued to improve in June

LOS ANGELES (July 15) – California’s housing market continued to show signs of improvement in June, as home sales experienced solid gains annually and home prices reached their highest level since August 2010, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today.

“Although home sales throughout the state continued to improve compared with a year earlier, we did see a modest dip compared with May,” said C.A.R. President LeFrancis Arnold. “Potential home buyers are frustrated by limited number of homes on the market for sale and growing discouraged by signs that the economy is slowing.”

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California declined 8.6 percent from May’s revised 567,330 to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 518,460 in June, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR® associations and MLSs statewide. June sales rose 8.5 percent from June 2011’s revised 478,040 pace. The statewide sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2012 if sales maintained the June pace throughout the year and is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

Home prices continued to improve, with the median home price posting both month-over-month and year-over-year gains for the fourth consecutive month. The statewide median price of an existing, single-family detached home was $320,540 in June.

June’s price rose 1.3 percent from a revised $316,410 in May and 8.1 percent from a revised $296,410 recorded in June 2011. The June 2012 figure was 30.7 percent higher than the cyclical bottom of $245,230 reached in February 2009. The median price has posted above the $300,000 level for the third straight month after remaining below that mark for 15 months.

California’s housing inventory remained flat in June, with the Unsold Inventory Index for existing, single-family detached homes remaining at 3.5 months in June, consistent with the inventory level reported in May. June’s housing inventory was down from a revised 5.1 months in June 2011. The index indicates the number of months needed to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate. A 7-month supply is considered normal.

“The lack of inventory continued to impact California’s housing market this month. Tight supply is putting upward pressure on home prices, but it also is restraining sales demand, especially in lower-price segments” said C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. “In June, sales below $300,000 declined 4.1 percent from the previous month, while sales of homes priced higher than $500,000 increased 2.3 percent.”

Interest rates continued their downward trend in June, with 30-year fixed-mortgage interest rates averaging 3.68 percent, down from 3.80 percent in May and 4.51 percent in June 2011, according to Freddie Mac. Adjustable-mortgage interest rates averaged 2.76 percent in June, up from 2.74 percent in May but lower than the 3-percent average rate reported in June 2011.

For full details and chart click here: http://www.car.org/newsstand/newsreleases/2012releases/668441/

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